It turns out that in recent elections in Canberra, their have been trials of voting by computer. I see this as a fairly big step forward in the use of technology, because this is one situation where you simply have to trust that the computer is not making the connections between a person and their vote – that the information is truly anonymous. (There’s a lot of assurances that this is the case in the FAQs on that site.) I was reading the information on how voting via the Internet could be on the way, and wondering about all the librarians who are going to be pressed into service helping people submit their votes online. It’ll be like those situations where patrons ask for help with their email: and insist on telling you their password. Not to mention offering chances for talkative patrons to try and involve you in discussions of political opinion. :o